Lots and lots of tiny squares went into the kiln... high temperatures cause the squares to round up into tiny blobs or beads. Blobs just sound inelegant when you're looking at something so small.
There are multi colored beads and some clear dichroic beads... some are a little larger and some a little smaller. This photo should give you a sense of the size.
THE PROCESS: It's not rocket science....just repetitive snipping. I cut up glass into narrow strips and then use tile snippers to cut little squares (see the picture below ). The next step is laying out all these little squares on a kiln shelf, making sure that the squares don't touch each other....Program the kiln and walk away! I fire over night to get a lower price for electricity. Scooping up the finished beads is really time consuming as well. I use a pancake flipper to scoop them up but they are tricky little devils and they tend to roll off.
What will I do with these little beads? They will be used in a fused mosaic along with frit ...It's a commission that is intended as a gift...so I won't be posting the finished product until it has been gifted. I'll try to document some of the next steps. Stay tuned!
